Born in 1915, Oscar Kaplan was known as "the father of geriatric psychology." Growing up in Los Angeles, he received his bachelor's
degree in psychology from UCLA and went on to get his master's degree in the same field, from the same institution. In 1940,
he got his PhD in psychology from the University of California Berkeley.

Kaplan started his career as a major figure in the study of public polling. While working for the
San Diego Union Tribune, he and his wife, Rose, developed various polls pertaining to life in San Diego. These topics included political, social
and economic surveys. His focus, however, was centered on mental and physical health issues.

In 1946, Kaplan became the first professor in San Diego State College's (SDSC) psychology department to have a PhD. His interest
in mass psychology lead him to develop courses related to public opinion measurement. In 1948, he founded the SDSC Center
for Survey Research, remaining as director until shortly before his death. While at SDSC, he created several public heath
surveys, asking students about their knowledge of dietary information, mental and sexual heath, X-rays, pregnancy, and prescription
drug usage.

Kaplan authored
Mental Disorders in Late Life, the first book about geriatric psychology. In 1946, the Surgeon General appointed him as a special consultant in gerontology
to the U.S. Public Health Service. In 1949, Kaplan developed a radio program geared toward elderly listeners. Titled
Your Life After Forty, the program gave advice about mental and physical hygiene for senior citizens. This program included polls about X-rays
and venereal diseases, new topics unrecognized by the elderly community.

Kaplan's exposure to the public caught the attention of the Truman administration. He urged the President to develop the White
House Conference on Aging, finally holding the conference in 1950. That same year, he became an appointed member of the Gerontological
Society, an organization devoted to the promotion of scientific study on aging.

In 1955, Kaplan founded what is now known as The American Society of Aging. Five years later, he became the founding editor
of
The Gerontologist, a professional journal in the field.

The political climate in the 1960's inspired Kaplan to develop polls about the country's opinion on political issues. These
included public opinions about Vietnam, civic affairs, public health surveys, and social security. In 1967, Kaplan organized
a survey asking his psychology students about the educational system in California. The subjects were questioned about the
value they saw in a college education, teacher compensation, and student rights.

In 1969, Kaplan received several grants from the U.S. Public Health Service. With the adequate funding, he was further able
to develop public polls about health and social issues. That same year, Kaplan created a student opinions survey, asking SDSC
students about American political and economic systems. Some questions inquired about the ethical implications of capitalism,
and how students felt about political processes in the United States.

Kaplan continued polling throughout the 1970's, developing several surveys about media issues. In 1974, Kaplan taught an upper
division class in public opinion measurement at San Diego State University (Psych-Journalism 122). The class focused on the
methods by which polling information is obtained, and how it is presented in the media (especially on television).

In the latter part of his career, Kaplan was recognized for several outstanding achievements. In 1976, Kaplan was given the
annual award by the Western Gerontological Society. In 1982, he was nominated for the Alumni faculty award at San Diego State
University, receiving a grant for his achievements. The following year, Kaplan was nominated to be an outstanding professor
in the Cal State University System.

Though Kaplan retired from SDSU in 1983, he continued polling well into the 1980's. He was the first pollster to inquire about
President Reagan's popularity in the decade, and further developed polls about political affairs.

After a struggle with cancer, Oscar Kaplan passed away on December 19th, 1994.

Access Terms

This collection is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.

Corporate Name:

San Diego State University -- Faculty -- Biography -- Sources

Family Name:

Kaplan, Oscar J. -- Archives

Genre/Form of Material:

Personal Papers

Publications

Title:

AgingOlder people -- Medical care

Topical Term:

Gerontology

Social surveys -- California -- San Diego County

Administrative Information

Conditions Governing Use:

The copyright interests in these materials have not been transferred to San Diego State University. Copyright resides with
the creators of materials contained in the collection or their heirs. The nature of historical archival and manuscript collections
is such that copyright status may be difficult or even impossible to determine. Requests for permission to publish must be
submitted to the Head of Special Collections, San Diego State University, Library and Information Access. When granted, permission
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but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials.

The
Oscar Kaplan Collection documents Kaplan's career as a pollster, psychologist, gerontologist, and member of SDSU's faculty. Also included is Kaplan's
work with various organizations including the Gerontological Society, American Society of Aging, the American Psychological
Association, and SDSU's Center for Survey Research. Documentation of Kaplan's works as a pollster includes health surveys
about tuberculosis and venereal diseases, health education research surveys, student health surveys and prescription drug
surveys. Highlights include correspondence for the radio series
Your Life After Forty, the White House Conference on Aging, studies and statistics about tuberculosis, evaluations of polling information, and
health education research. The collection dates from 1941-1996, with the majority of the materials dating from the late 1940s
to the early 1960's. It consists of articles, correspondence, surveys, survey data, research reports, statistics, newsletters,
Psychology Department bulletins, minutes, memos, and syllabi and other course files.